Its 5am.
I’m snuggling up to
the cheeky 6 year old who has snuck into the parental bed again when I realize his
feet are resting on my shins.
When did my youngest get so huge?
Bean is growing at a
phenomenal rate. Yes, I know, everyone says that about their children but Bean
is something else I’m sure of it. His 7 year old brother is perfectly average,
if not a little rounder in the bottom than most kids his age (presumably due to
his annoyingly restricted diet). However Bean’s body, being 17 months younger,
seems to have decided this growing up thing is in fact a race.
At first clothes buying was easy, I’d buy a bunch of clothes and Ed would grow out of them just
in time for Bean to grow into them.
There was a seasonal issue, in that Bean was wearing Ed's Summer clothes in Winter so his wardrobe would have to topped up with a few extra jumpers and jeans, but other than that it was brilliant.
This photo was my first clue. At just 3, Bean (left) was looking bigger than Ed (right) who was 4 and a half. I took a few of these photos, thinking the angle was all wrong and being confused by what I kept seeing on my camera display.
The hand-me-downs went on until we reached 4-5 years clothes, when there was a hefty overlap. By size 5-6 they were in the same size, making
clothes buying literally twice as expensive. Thankfully by this age they were
actually wearing the clothes out, rather than growing out of them before they
got even the tiniest bit scuffed. I couldn’t have made Bean wear holey hand-me-downs
anyway, so it didn’t matter so much.
Now they are both in 7-8
years clothes, despite the fact that they are in fact 6 & 7. The clothes
that are tight on Bean, fit Ed perfectly, so the hand-me-downs are now going in
the opposite direction.
My ‘little’ brother is built
like a brick shit house, so it looks like Bean has ended up with a load of his
genes which is odd because I thought he got his general hugeness from my
step-dad…but they do look very similar both in appearance and mannerisms. I’d
show you photos but my brother literally will not allow anyone to take a
picture of him.
I started to see some actual problems when a house guest moved in. We have a two year old boy
staying with us at the moment, and of course my boys love him to pieces but I keep
catching Bean, in his usual over-excitedness, being a bit of a bully. I can’t
accept bullying in my house, so I have had to spend some time explaining to him
that he needs to be aware of what his body is doing and how it might feel to
someone half his size.
I personally think, however
young a child is, they should be allowed to express their own opinion on who invades their personal space and what happens to their body. It is their body
after all and I think they should be encouraged to be confident enough to say
no. Except if they have a really stinky nappy of course. Or teeth brushing
issues. Actually anything personal hygiene related. That stuff just needs
shoving into their daily routine.
Unfortunately for Bean, as
well as being huge he is also extra (definitely more than usual) boisterous. He’s
heavy handed, clumsy and playful.
So I asked him, if I backed
him into a corner, even just to tickle him, would he not be intimidated as I towered
over him? Yes he replied.
I’ve tried to explain to
him, that as a big boy, bigger than most of his class (as his recent class photo
shows), he needs to be extra careful. He needs to be aware of his body, where
it is and what it’s doing to ensure not only the safety of other children but
also their feelings too.
It’s perfectly possible I’m
thinking about this too much, and it’s also possible he’ll plateau at some
point and everyone else will catch up. Or he’ll end up like my brother, and
11lb baby who turned into a giant 22 year old.
Hopefully I’ll manage to
raise a gentle giant rather than a boisterous beast of a man. Thankfully he has
a heart of gold buried in that wide chest so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
I’ll continue to praise his
kind acts, his sweet affection and remind him to be kind when I need to.
I am so looking forward to
seeing the man he’ll become in a few short years.
Good luck raising yours too my lovelies xxx
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